Outaishi
by YaoiRocks
Summary: Naruto is taken by the king of the Bear country as the crown prince. How will Naruto survive in the court with the generals wanting him dead? Voting end. Now Itanaru. [Do not own Naruto.][Yaoi]
1. Chapter 1

Oops, I got drunk again (shots self) heh. I really gotta stop that

Warning: Yaoi…if I come up with anything else I'll tell you.

Pairings: a little undecided. What do you want? Itanaru, Sasunaru, Nejinaru or Gaanaru? Your choice, you pick for me

This is pre time skip. After chuunin exams, Tsunade is Hokage. Before Sasuke defects.

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**Outaishi**

Naruto sighed to himself. The mission had been easy- get the scroll and hightail it out of the place. Though it was annoying when Sasuke kept taunting him on his performance during the mission. Yeah, so what if Naruto was a little clumsier then the others?

He tugged the bandage on his arm tighter. Not that he really needed it, as he had almost healed, but he didn't want the other two to see his healing ability. He placed his finished bowl aside and waited for the others to finish their own meal. When they did, Naruto stood up, intending to do first watch.

"I'll do first watch!" He said. The other three looked at him and Sasuke said mildly,

"Are you sure you can handle it dobe?"

"Shut up teme!" Naruto snarled back.

"Calm down. You can do first watch Naruto… just be careful." Kakashi said, looking hard at the Uchiha. Sasuke snorted and made his way to his bedroll, Sakura following.

"I'll be here if you need me." Kakashi said, before going over to join the other two.

When they were asleep, Naruto climbed into a tree and sat there, looking out over the silent forest. He sighed… nothing much to do really. He looked down at his sleeping companions and scowled.

Sasuke had been such a bastard lately and Sakura as well. She only had eyes for the Uchiha and nothing else, in fact her infatuation almost cost Naruto his life on a couple missions. She really needed a reality check.

Naruto shifted and winced as pain shot up his arm. He unravelled the bandage to reveal the wound. It started at the elbow and spread its way to his wrist. It was also very deep. Luckily there was no poison on the guy's sword otherwise Naruto would have been in deep trouble.

He suddenly snapped his head up when he heard a light footstep from somewhere behind him. He jumped down the tree and walked towards the sound, hoping it was a fox of some kind. After a little while of searching, he found nothing. He shrugged and made his way back to camp when the rustling of bushes caught his attention. He tensed, waiting for an attack, but nothing came. He straightened, his senses on high alert. He should get back to Kakashi and wake him up…something was up.

As soon as he turned away however, he felt a crashing blow to his head, sending him to the ground with a pained cry. He curled up, holding his painfully throbbing head. Through the gaps in his arms, he saw dark figures coming towards him. The stood over him and seemed to stare down at him.

"He is one of the Jounin's charges, isn't he?"

"Yes. I'm sure that the Konoha nins would hand over the scroll in exchange for his life."

Naruto gave one last cry before he lost consciousness.

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Kakashi sat up, frowning. He swore he just heard Naruto. He stood up and looked around the camp, but not seeing any sign of the hyper little blonde. He roughly shook the other two awake. They glared at him for interrupting their sleep.

"What is it?" Sakura growled, trying to rub sleep out of her eyes.

"Naruto's missing." He replied curtly. Sasuke gave a sigh and stood up, and it was obvious that Sakura just wanted to go back to sleep rather then look for her missing team mate. She grudgingly stood up as well.

"You should always sleep with one eye open, and then you would reduce the possibility of getting killed in your sleep." Came a deep, masculine voice. They turned towards the source of the voice and froze.

This man was big…really big. He was about 7ft tall, making even Kakashi seem really small. He wore a tight leather t-shirt with blood red layered armour on his chest and back. He wore tight leather trousers with shin guards as well as heavy steel capped boots. From his thick black belt hung a piece of cloth with a symbol of a grizzly bear. Also attached to the belt was a sword sheath with the handle of the blade visible. It seemed to glow golden in the dim fire light and had a jewel of some kind on the hilt of the sword. They looked up at his face and saw that his face was covered in a steel bear mask that had a twisted sadistic grin on its face. It was painted as if it had just been through a blood bath.

Kakashi automatically put himself in between the man and his two remaining students. Where the third one was, he didn't know. Other figures, smaller then the first, emerged from the forest around them, enclosing them in a circle.

The man, who had first emerged, chuckled at his captives.

"Give me back my scroll, and I won't kill your other student."

The figure on his left held up an unconscious Naruto, who had dried blood in his tangled hair, as well as some on his face. The first man held a kunai to his throat so that with one flick, he could end the blonde's life.

"Give us the scroll." He commanded, pressing the kunai into the boy's throat for emphasis. Kakashi slowly drew the scroll and approached the man, laying it on the floor and then retreating back to his students. He watched carefully as the figure on the mans right came forward and picked the scroll up, handing it to his leader who inspected it before nodding and putting it away in his pouch. He made no move to hand the blonde over to them.

"Aren't you going to give my student back now?" He asked, hoping that this man would not put down his rights.

"No," was the simple reply. Sasuke and Sakura looked surprised and the pink haired girl asked,

"Why not?"

"It is within my right as a high ranking clan member to take the boy. You can do nothing to stop me. I'll be going now."

The man did a few hand seals and disappeared in a puff of smoke, along with the other figures… and Naruto. They stood there in shock a few moments and then Sasuke turned to Kakashi, a question in his dark eyes.

"What does he mean by that its right to take Naruto away?"

Kakashi sighed, and placed his head in his hands.

"That man is part of the Haiiroguma clan. If a high ranking member of that clan were to lose their son, they can adopt another. But the way they adopt is that if they come across a boy with a guardian that had wronged that clan member in anyway, then they have the right to take that child and raise it as their own. In this case, I have stolen that scroll that belongs to the clan. So he has all the right in the world to take Naruto. Naruto will be taught all the clan techniques and such as if he was born in that clan. I doubt that we can negotiate his release either. We should talk to Tsunade-sama about this."

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The next day when they reached their village they immediately went to the Hokage's office. The woman was hiding behind a stack of papers that was dumped in front of her by Shizune. She didn't look too pleased. She shoved them out of the way when she saw Kakashi and his two students…wait, two!-?

"Where's Naruto?" She asked sharply. Kakashi sighed and said,

"He's been taken, by a member of the Haiiroguma clan. The scroll we were asked to take belonged to that man…"

"So he took Naruto as his adoptive son?"

Kakashi nodded. Tsunade gave a heavy breath and leaned back in her chair, a thoughtful expression on her young looking face.

"I'll send Jiraiya, maybe he can talk to them. What did the man look like? I might recognise him."

"He was very high ranking. He wore leather clothing with red overlapping armour-"

"With a mask in the shape of a bear face?"

Kakashi blinked and then nodded, surprised. Tsunade swore loudly, slapping her forehead.

"This is not good." She said to herself.

"What isn't?" Sakura asked, curious at what made the Hokage swear so badly.

"The one that took him was Mamoru. He's the Head clan member… and also the king of the land of the Bear, hence their clan name."

"S-so that means that Naruto would be the crown prince?" Kakashi asked, his voice startled. The other two looked in between the two older nins and then Sakura burst out laughing. The other three turned to look at her.

"What's so funny?" Tsunade asked sharply, narrowing her eyes in slight disgust.

"N-Naruto being a crown prince! Get real! That's so funny! There's no way he can be a prince!"

"Watch you tongue. This is serious. Get out of my sight you little impertinent snip!" Tsunade growled, throwing a vase at the still laughing girl, who ducked in time and rushed out of the room, scared witless.

Tsunade sat back down and rubbed her temples, trying to relieve her headache.

"I only hope that he's alright. And I hope he stays there until Jiraiya is there. If we try to take him by force, or he escapes himself, then that clan will come and destroy Konoha… and they have the power as well." Tsunade said, looking out of the window, not seeing the suspicious look the Uchiha was giving her.

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Naruto felt himself slowly wake up. His head was throbbing slightly and he felt light-headed. He opened his eyes to look at a wooden ceiling. He sat up and realised that he was only wearing boxers. He frowned, trying to remember what had happened to him. He pushed the soft covers aside and stood up, only to sit back down as the movement made him feel sick. He took a few deep breaths, trying to control his stomach. When that was done, he looked about the room he was in. It was small, only big enough to have the bed in and a few cabinets on the far wall. There was a paper sliding door, but there were no windows, making the room dim save for the small candle that burned on the small table beside the bed.

'Where am I?' He thought, starting to feel a little panicked. As if in answer to his question, the paper door opened to reveal a male figure that stood about 7ft tall. He wore leather clothing with blood read overlapping armour on his chest and back. On his belt, there was a cloth with a bear symbol on. There was also a bear mask hanging at his waist. Naruto looked at the man's face and saw that this man had kind brown eyes with well shaped lips and nose with a firm chin. His waist length brown hair was tied at the neck with a leather cord, leaving a few bangs to frame his slime face.

"About time you were awake kid. I was starting to get worried."

"Who are you?" Naruto blurted out, feeling confused, which made him feel angry. The man chuckled and sat down beside him on the bed, watching the blonde carefully.

"I am Mamoru, King of the bear country and head of the Haiiroguma clan."

Naruto blinked, not sure of what to do… he'd never meet a king before.

"Do you know of the rules within my clan boy?"

Naruto shook his head, unsure about whether to speak or not. The man sighed and said,

"My son died a couple of years back, leaving me with no heir to the thrown. In my clan, I have a right to go out and seek another son, especially since my wife has died. It is considered sin to re-marry. Anyway, if we find a child whose guardian- whether it be parent, carer or a sensei- that has done a crime against my person, I have a right to take that child and raise them as my own."

"What has that got to do with me?" Naruto asked in a quiet voice.

"Your sensei stole that scroll off me, so it is within my right to take you as my son."

Naruto stared at the man, his mouth wide open.

"W-what! Don't I have a say in this?"

"No. Children are not considered to have a voice until their eighteenth birthday. If you try to escape, or your friends come to take you by force, I will have the right to destroy your former home. My country would follow me, and we have enough power to overwhelm that little village."

Naruto stood up, glaring at the man,

"Why would you do such a monstrous thing like that?" He asked, his voice dripping with venom. The man stood up as well, towering over the tiny blonde.

"I want a son, and I have chosen you. Whether you like it or not, you are the crown prince to the throne."

Naruto stared at him, lost for words. Why would he want him? Sasuke would have been a better option. He's had a taste of life like this…Naruto's had nothing but neglect and abuse all his life. He wasn't going to cope with this, heck, he wasn't even asked about this. He wanted to scream and yell, anything, but knew that the man wouldn't listen to him. He felt like a prisoner, not some king's 'son'. He considered running away, but the thought of Konoha being destroyed held him in check.

He sat back down, not looking at the man.

"Good. I'm glad you understand." The man then reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair. Naruto involuntarily flinched at the close contact, only associating contact from other people with pain. The man frowned at this.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"N-nothing…" Naruto replied, shaking a little bit. The man's frown deepened.

"I asked you, what's wrong."

"N-nothing!" Naruto replied, hiding his eyes behind his hair while turning his face away. He heard the man sigh behind him.

"Go back to sleep. We'll talk when you wake up and feeling better."

Naruto heard the man's footsteps walk away from him, open the door and walk out, closing the door before going away. Naruto sighed as he glared at the paper door, He considered going out, but his head was aching. Maybe he should do what the King suggested and get some more sleep. He lay back down and as soon as his eyes closed, he fell asleep.

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He woke up later to cool hands feeling his face and neck. He opened his eyes to look into the face of a pretty, dark eyed, dark haired young woman. She smiled when she saw his eyes. He sat up and realised that his head no longer hurt and he no longer felt sick. He looked down at his arm to see that it was once again bandaged. The woman beside him handed him a cup. Naruto looked at it suspiciously before taking a small sip. He made a face at the unpleasant taste.

"Drink it all." The woman ordered in soft voice as she cleared away some bandages. Naruto sighed and thought it better to drink the drink before setting it on the table.

The woman smiled at him and then put some clothes on his lap.

"Get dressed. His majesty wishes to speak to you."

Naruto nodded and watched the woman walk out, closing the door behind her to give him some privacy. He stood up and looked at the clothes. There were cream silk trousers along with a fishnet top. To go over the fishnet top there was a kimono styled top that came to mid thigh. It was light blue in colour lined with a black strip. There was a dragon pattern on the right sleeve and flames rimming the bottom.

He shrugged and put the clothes on, missing the feeling of his headband on his forehead. He went to the door and opened it to find the woman waiting for him.

"Come, your highness."

Naruto jumped at being called 'your highness' and glared at the woman, who ignored him. She walked down the corridor with Naruto at her side. She led him through several corridors of what seemed to be a traditional Japanese house, a large one at that.

They reached their destination and she slid open the door, ushering him inside before closing the door behind him.

"Naruto-kun, glad you are awake. How are you feeling?"

Naruto turned to face the King and then blinked when he saw Jiraiya sitting next to him with a cup of sake in his hand. Naruto approached them and said,

"Erm, I'm fine… thanks."

Jiraiya looked at him closely. Naruto looked back and asked,

"Are you here to get me out of here, Ero-sennin?"

"I told you not to call me that, you brat!" he growled, sending the blonde a glare. The king chuckled at their banter and said,

"Jiraiya-san here tried to convince me to let you go, but I have chosen you as my heir. Nothing is going to change my mind."

Naruto huffed, crossing his arms as he stuck out his lower lip in a cute pout. Jiraiya snorted at this and took another sip of his drink, waving Naruto to sit down.

Naruto sat in front of them as he looked about the room they were in. It seemed to be a study of some kind with shelves that contained various scrolls and books. He looked back at the two older men asking,

"When can I go back home?"

"This is your home now, Naruto-kun."

"Konoha is my home!" He objected.

"No. I have been talking to Jiraiya-san and I have agreed to let you return when you are sixteen to study under him and also under the Hokage to learn medical jutsus."

"But not before?"

"No. I will train you here."

Naruto frowned at this and asked hesitantly,

"And what will you teach me?"

The man chuckled and said,

"You will be taught as if you were born part of this clan. Which means all our specialities and such, one example is our ability for sword fighting. It takes years of practice, but it is worth it."

Mamoru closed his eyes with a sigh.

"I have informed the rest of the clan about your adoption, and there has been a little bit of an uproar about it. Normally if the king dies without an heir, then the generals of the clan fight for the right to be king. Your adoption has prevented this. This is why I have asked the son of my most trusted general and friend to guard you. His name is Takashi and he will look after you as well as teaching you in things like how to behave in court. Takashi-kun, you may come in now."

Naruto turned to see a male figure; about 6ft8 walk into the room. He wore a light grey Kimono with a long twin sword on each side of his waist. His eyes were a light blue colour and like the king, had well shaped features. His hair, a midnight black colour that was tied at the neck to his waist, leaving some strands to fall into his face.

'Was it a fashion for them to wear their hair like that?' Naruto thought while staring at the man.

"Takashi, this is the crown prince, Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto-kun, this is Haiiroguma Takashi."

The man gracefully bowed to him and Naruto hesitantly bowed back.

"Pleased to meet you, your highness." He said in a rich velvety voice.

"Um, just Naruto will do…"

"If you wish Naruto-kun."

"Thanks."

"So, Naruto-kun… will you stay here and learn the ways of the clan?" Mamoru asked, looking intently at his adoptive son.

Naruto looked back at the king and gave a small sigh,

"It was always my dream to be Hokage… but I guess I can't follow that dream now. I'll settle with being King."

Mamoru smiled as Jiraiya gave a sigh, downing another cup of sake before looking at his student with mournful eyes. He stood up,

"I better be going now… look after him please Mamoru-kun."

"Of course, I will do everything in my power to keep him safe."

Jiraiya nodded and then turned back to the small blonde.

"Take care; I'll pop back sometime… until then, good luck."

"Bye…" Naruto said in a small voice, watching as the old man walked out with not so much as a backward glance.

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There you go, so… which pairing do you want?

Me and my sisters have already voted, so all I need is your votes:

Itanaru- 2

Sasunaru- 0

Gaanaru- 1

Nejinaru- 0

Take your pick and review! (Sorry about getting drunk again XD)


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry about the long wait, but I did most of the chapter and then realised that I had lost my notes of the jutsu that me and Kha-chan (XKhaalidaX) came up with! So…yeah, that's why I didn't update. Sorry! I hope this chapter makes up for it!

-xx-

Okay, thank you for all the lovely reviews, your votes have been counted and are as follows:

Itanaru- 38

Sasunaru- 8

Gaanaru- 9

Nejinaru- 2

I really don't need to tell you the winner of Naru-chan's heart now do I?

Disclaimer: Do you see Yaoi scenes all the time? No? Well then, I can't own Naruto, can I? (But Itachi does XP)

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Outaishi- chapter two;

"This is your room. It isn't much, but I'm sure you'll cope with it." Takashi said to the young blonde as he slid open the door. Naruto hesitantly entered the room assigned to him. He really expected a small room with a bed and maybe somewhere to place his clothes. But the room he entered had, in the centre, a low styled table with cushions at which to kneel on. On either wall, there were bookcases with various books and scrolls. There were some paintings on landscapes, not that they were needed as the large window gave a perfect view of the mountains.

"W-where do I sleep?" He asked as he looked about the room, his mouth wide open. Takashi pointed to a sliding door next to one of the book cases.

"In there. I take it that you never had much back at home."

"I lived alone…"

Takashi frowned, looking at him closely.

"Alone? Aren't you a little too young to be living alone? What about your parents?"

Naruto shrugged and moved towards the door, opening it up to see what was inside. There was a large bed against the wall in the middle and on either side where small bedside tables. There was a chest of drawers as well as a wardrobe. Naruto spotted another door and opened it up, looking into the bathroom. It wasn't anything fancy, but Naruto was betting that there was a bathhouse somewhere in the palace. He shut the door on the basic essentials and turned to look at Takashi's light blue eyes.

"You like?" He asked, looking down at the blonde.

'Damn he's tall…' Naruto thought, straining his neck just to look up at the guy.

"Um, thanks… it's nice. Better then anything I've ever had at Konoha." Naruto said, thinking about his tiny apartment and the run down orphanage he had to stay in.

Takashi regarded him through narrowed eyes, making the blonde squirm under the unwavering gaze. Suddenly, Takashi grinned and ruffled his soft blonde locks.

"Get some sleep, Naruto-kun. Your lessons start tomorrow."

Naruto watched as the dark haired male walked out of his room, leaving him alone. Not that it mattered; Naruto had been alone his entire life, so it made no difference.

He made his way into the room that had his bed and stared at it for a while.

'At least it's new…' He thought as he sat on it, grinning at the fact that it didn't seem like as if it was going to collapse at any given moment like his old bed back in Konoha. He fell backwards and closed his eyes. He curled up in a tight ball, felling exhaustion spreading through his small body. He hugged his knees close to his chest as he closed his eyes, unable to fight the tiredness any longer.

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"Well?" Tsunade asked, glaring at her old team-mate in front of her, angry that he had appeared empty handed. He spread his hands and said in an resigned voice,

"Sorry. The man refused to let Naruto go. He's made up his mind about it and he's not going to change it any time soon."

"So what are we going to do now?" She asked, a scowl marring her features.

"Well, Mamoru has agreed to send Naruto here for training when he turns sixteen, but until then, he stays there."

"You mean we can't see him?" Kakashi asked from where he stood next to Sakura and Sasuke against the wall.

"Nope. But I managed to get him to agree to let you visit him for his fifteenth birthday."

"Hn." Sasuke said, turning his emotionless eyes to looking out of the window as if finding this conversation of no interest to him. Tsunade frowned at him, but he ignored her.

"So… will you?"

"If we must." Sakura said, looking at her nails, causing Tsunade to raise an eyebrow at the pathetic female. Really, didn't they care for their blonde team-mate? Obviously not. Tsunade felt furious at that, having half a mind to ban them from even going to see Naruto, but then, the blonde might want to see them. He didn't really seem aware of their dislike for him.

Jiraiya shook his head and then asked,

"Are you going to tell the others of this?"

"Others? You mean the head council? No. They'll object to this idea, and don't tell any of Naruto's rookie friends. They shouldn't know, just yet. Wait a bit before telling them."

The two genin looked confused by this, but accepted it. Not that they cared anyway. Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temples,

"I just hope that he'll be happy. He hasn't the temperament for the royal court…he's too wild."

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"Naruto-kun, pay attention!" Takashi said sharply, tabbing Naruto on the forehead to gain the young male's attention. The blonde blinked and cocked his head, staring at his guardian.

"Naruto-kun, you have to pay attention. Your young mind wonders too much."

"Sorry." Naruto said meekly, lowering his head. He and the dark haired man were sitting in the royal gardens under one of the many Sakura trees. Takashi was attempting to teach Naruto how he should behave in the royal house, but the young prince seemed a little preoccupied.

"What's the matter Naruto-kun?" Takashi asked gently, trying to get the blonde to open up to him. The young boy had been here for a month and didn't seem to want to talk about his past or anything relating to his former home. Apart from talking about his team and the Hokage, and a group known as Konoha 12. Naruto shrugged his shoulders and replied,

"It's strange…"

"What's strange?"

"Everything. I'm not going to get used to people bowing to me. At home I never had any kind of special treatment and it's all strange to me…"

Takashi gave a small chuckle.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine young one."

"Yeah…"

"Shall we get on with the lesson?"

Naruto nodded and placed his chin in his hand, watching the older male,

"At your age, when the court is meeting, you are expected to be present, but you cannot say anything. I'm only 17, so it will be a year before I am allowed to say anything in court. If I have a suggestion, I have to go through my father, General Gousuke. If you have something to say, you have to go through the King, since he is your father. Understand?"

Naruto nodded, absently flicking a cherry blossom that had dropped onto his blue Kimono.

"Good. You must always be polite to visitors so that you set a good example. You represent the royal house of the Bear Country, so you are most likely to meet other important people, so you need to set a good image. Okay?"

Another nod.

"And you shouldn't give any of the officials any nicknames as you did with your Hokage and the toad sannin. I know that you are an orphan and never had any kind of proper discipline. So you must try and remember that. Mamoru-sama will not be pleased if you disappoint him."

"What would he do if I were to disappoint him?" Naruto asked, curious.

"I don't know. No-one ever has. And I don't want to find out either as the King can be quite nasty when he wants to be."

Naruto blinked and nodded, hoping that he wouldn't find out either.

"Also, when you are giving orders, you must never show any hesitation, or they will always be unsure as to your intentions and may come to distrust you, so the loyalty will waver towards you. You don't want that, do you?"

Naruto shook his head, making mental notes. Suddenly, Takashi asked,

"Would you like something to eat Naruto-kun? You look hungry."

Just then, Naruto's stomach gave an embarrassing growl, causing the owner to blush as the teen in front of him laughed.

"Yes, I think you need something to eat. It's almost time for you to meet with Mamoru-sama and I don't want you to faint from hunger."

Naruto nodded and stood up, watching as Takashi did as well.

He followed his guardian to a section of the building that he had yet to see. Takashi had taken him on a tour of most of the extensive building, but had yet to show Naruto where the servants resided. He led the small blonde through several long corridors that were not as grand as what he had already seen, but that was to be expected in the servant parts of the building.

They arrived at a set of double doors, which the general's son opened and entered, followed closely by Naruto.

The scene that met their eyes was a room full of people rushing about doing various tasks from preparing vegetables to stirring one of the many pots. Naruto blinked at the busyness of the scene, never seeing that many people in one place.

One man, a rather large one with a red face and wearing a stained apron came over to the pair in the doorway.

"Takashi! What may I do for you?"

"The Prince here is hungry; may you get something for him to eat? We'll be in his quarters."

The man then noticed Naruto, who was hiding slightly behind the lean frame of the dark haired man. He smiled kindly at the blonde and asked,

"And what would you like, your highness?"

Naruto thought for a second and replied firmly,

"Miso ramen please."

The cook chuckled and said,

"The boy knows what he wants." He then bowed to them and walked off, shouting orders. Takashi sighed and shook his head.

"He's so rude, but I like him. So much more refreshing then some of these other servants who always seem to want to look at the floor as soon as you open your mouth. Come on; let's go back to your room."

Naruto silently followed the older through the empty halls of the palace. They arrived back at his rooms and sat at the table. Takashi looked closely at the blonde, who seemed to be studying the table.

"What was it like?" Takashi asked, seeing if he could get the boy to open up more then he had a little bit earlier.

Naruto looked at him blankly,

"What was what like?"

"Your life before you became prince here."

Naruto blinked and asked suspiciously,

"Why do you want to know?"

Takashi gave a sigh, flicking a strand of hair away from his face. He looked at Naruto with his light blue eyes and said,

"I have a suspicion that your life was not easy. You are very shy around other people and you seem confused. I won't judge you. You can trust me."

Naruto blinked, lowering his eyes. There was a silence between them before the blonde said quietly,

"I was always alone. No-one wanted me. They hated me… they would even beat me up sometimes. I wasn't allowed to play with the other kids, so they ended up turning against me…"

As the blonde trailed off, there came a knock on the door, signalling that the food had arrived.

"Come in." Takashi ordered. Naruto looked up, his expression masked to hid his emotions. The door opened and a pretty maid entered, carrying a bowl of ramen. She set in front of Naruto and gave him a deep bow. The blonde nodded at her and she exited, closing the door behind her firmly.

Naruto looked at the food in front of him before picking up the chopsticks and diving into the food.

"Not to fast! Eat more slowly and with dignity." Takashi said, slightly startled at how the small blonde seemed to swallow the food whole. Naruto blinked at him, but he slowed down his eating anyway.

When Naruto was finished, he pushed the bowl away with a contented sigh. There was a silence in the room as both males were not sure of what to say. Then Takashi said quietly,

"Did they not see you as a hero… for saving them from the Kyuubi?"

Naruto looked up, startled, and he looked a little afraid,

"H-how do you know about that?"

"Jiraiya-sama told us."

"Oh…"

"Don't worry. You have no tail, nor horn or any other kind of demonic traits. We do not see you as the demon. You two are completely separate from each other. Even the council know… all they see is Naruto the Prince, whom is preventing them at their chance of becoming King. They care not for the demon within you. You'll be treated as a person here, so don't worry."

Naruto bit his lip and asked,

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm quite sure Naruto-kun. Now. Go to the King's library. He wants to talk to you."

The blonde nodded and stood up, walking out of his room, aware of Takashi's eyes on him. It felt strange being here. Everyone was so nice… he wasn't used to that. He doubted that he would, but Takashi said that he would… Naruto didn't believe him. Naruto didn't know how to react when people were kind to him. He had grown up learning how to hide himself from people who wished him harm… which included the villagers. There was nowhere to hide here. They would always find him. He had tried once or twice to be on his own, but they needed him for lessons. In the month that he had been here, all he seemed to be doing is learning the ways of the court and being taught the family history. There had been other cases in the past where children had been adopted into the main royal family, so Naruto wasn't the first one.

When he reached the King's library, he knocked, receiving the order to enter immediately. He took a deep breath and opened the door, spotting the Mamoru sitting at his desk reading a scroll.

He looked up at Naruto with a smile and said,

"Sit down, my son."

Naruto obeyed and sat in front him, wishing that today's lesson would be over soon. He was starting to get bored with learning about politics.

"Okay, Naruto-kun. We've finished those lessons we have been studying on politics. Today we will start on your fighting skills."

That caught Naruto's attention. He looked up at the King, who laughed at his eager expression.

"You are eager, aren't you?"

Naruto grinned at the king and said,

"Yeah! What stuff are you going to be teaching me? Tell me tell me!"

Mamoru chuckled at the blonde's enthusiasm and said,

"We won't be doing any real training today. I'll just be telling you the kinds of things like the swords we have and any jutsus. We also have our own kind of Taijutsu stance."

The blonde nodded, leaning his elbows on the table in a signal that he was ready to listen to the man. Mamoru reached behind him and picked up his sword, which was sheathed.

"This is my sword, 'Shi-ha' (1). It is a sword that unique to me, only allowing me to handle this sword. You will get one of your own. This Emerald on the hilt here can be used to store chakra which you can draw on in times of need."

He then drew the blade, placing it on the table, causing Naruto's eyes to widen. Unlike normal swords, this sword had a gold handle with a silver hilt that held the large emerald gem. The blade was not metallic in colour, but it was a deep green colour, glinting in the light.

"Wow, this is amazing! How did the blade get its colour?"

"The colour of the blade depends on the personality of the master of that blade. I am a very calm person, little prone to violence so my blade is a green colour .The reason why it is such a deep colour is because I am a philosopher, which means that I am a deep thinker."

"Ahh! What colour would mine be?"

Mamoru looked at him closely and then shrugged,

"I am not really certain. You'll find out when the blade is made for you."

"Ah, okay…"

"I will be teaching you basic swordsmanship for now, and then you'll have to develop your own style. Understand?"

The blonde nodded, glancing at the beautiful sword in front of him. He couldn't wait to get his own sword. The King put his sword away before turning his attention to the blonde once again.

"Okay, the Taijutsu style I am going to teach you is 'Torf-onkei' (2). It is a very fast and fluid style that targets the vitals such as the heart and lungs. If used correctly, you can beat an opponent in minutes since they wouldn't be able to follow your moves."

Naruto nodded, listening intently to the man's every word.

"Okay, there are three Ninjutsu that are unique within the royal family. One you will need to use regularly. That one is 'Doku hakken no jutsu' (3). The generals may wish to get rid of you so that they could have a chance at the throne themselves. They will do such things as put poison in your food, so I need to teach you this one first of all. Until then, I will be checking your food, okay?"

Naruto blinked and then frowned. If the man didn't want to expose him to such danger, then why adopt him in the first place? This man was strange indeed.

"Okay, the next one is called 'Kuma tsume no jutsu' (4). This jutsu forms a glove of chakra around your hand and has the offensive abilities of piercing and slashing."

"Cool!" Okay, maybe being the Prince wasn't so bad…

"The third is called 'Yaju henka no jutsu' (5). I doubt you would use this one much since it was actually developed by pure accident by one of the previous Kings. He was a little bit unstable, which is why we think he came up with this. He was playing about with the Henge and managed to discover a way to prevent your cover from being blown. The only problem is that you can only do this with animal form and not human form. If you have some in contact with the DNA of an animal, then you are able to transform parts of your body into animal parts. Like a bear claw or something like that. You can also turn into that animal fully. Strange jutsu, but then, so was the guy who invented it."

"I think it's cool! Imagine the amount of fun you could have with that jutsu!"

Mamoru gave a sigh,

"It's not for playing around with! It could get you into deep trouble."

Naruto pouted, crossing his arms.

"You just like to take the fun out of things!"

"Hardly. It's just something that could get you killed since there are a large amount of hunters around here. So please don't mess about with it!"

"Okay, I promise."

Mamoru gave a sigh of relief,

"Good. I just don't want you hurt."

"Is there anything else?"

"No there isn't. Would you like some tea?"

"Erm, yes please."

The King got up and went over to the other side of the room where the items were set up. As the man did this, Naruto lost himself in his thoughts. Back when he was 'adopted', couldn't the King have easily taken Sasuke instead? He seemed strong enough to. The Uchiha was far stronger then him and smarter as well. He was a prodigy, a genius. Naruto was neither of those.

He blinked when a steaming cup of herbal tea was set in front of him. He smiled and mumbled,

"Thanks."

They were silent for a while and then Mamoru asked,

"What's on you mind son?"

"You know when you 'adopted' me?"

"Yes, go on."

"There was another boy there. Couldn't you have easily taken him instead of me?"

"Yes I could of, but to be honest, I didn't want an arrogant Uchiha for my son. I hate the Uchiha's anyway; I've never come across one that didn't have something stuck up their ass. And that pink haired female, God she was ugly. And she seemed to like that Uchiha as well."

"Yeah, she does. In fact, she always puts him above me and that's almost killed me a couple of times on missions."

Mamoru frowned.

"She won't get far in life then."

"I doubt it…so, when can we start my training?" Naruto asked in a hopeful voice. Mamoru laughed, ruffling the blonde's hair.

"You're such an eager kid, aren't you?"

--------------------xx--------------------

Sasuke frowned as he walked along the street, hands in his pocket and ignoring the chatting Sakura next to him. He was jealous. Naruto had become a _Prince_. And a prince of an extremely powerful clan as well. He clenched his fists, feeling his anger rise.

Why did Naruto get chosen instead of him? Sasuke was much better then Naruto and would have made a better King then that dobe. He wouldn't even know how to run a country! And the idiot certainly wouldn't be able to learn all the jutsus of the clan.

Sasuke growled low in his throat. He needed power damn it! How could he when he's stuck here…with Sakura. It was tempting to go to Orochimaru for the power, but… wouldn't the dobe think him weak going to the snake for power? He couldn't allow for that. He will not be considered weak, especially not by the likes of Naruto!

'I think…I'll get Kakashi to train to train me and when we go and see him on his fifteenth birthday, I'll challenge him to a fight and beat him! Ha! That'll show the King for choosing the weakest! Wait…when is Naruto's birthday? He's never mentioned it before…'

"Sakura."

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?" the pink haired girl asked immediately as if hoping for a date. No chance in hell.

"When's Naruto's birthday?"

"Why do you want to know?" She asked, evidently confused.

"I don't know when it is and we'll have to go to his fifteenth so I wanted to know when it was. I want to train and beat him."

"Oh, really! I think he told me once…I think he said about the 10th October. Somewhere around then, I wasn't listening properly…"

Sasuke nodded and then walked off, disappearing from the Pink haired girls view, leaving her along in the busy street.

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(1)- Death blade- I know, kinda simple, but this sword kills its enemy easily, so yeah, suitable name.

(2)- Bird grace- Kinda sucks, but I was out of ideas -.-; it's based on the grace at which a bird in flight shows.

(3)- Poison detection.

(4)- Bear Claw

(5)- Beast transformation.

-xx-

So, yeah. A chapter for you. Hoped you liked! Ja!

Oh, and even though the main pairing is Itanaru, I'm going to have Sasuke, Gaara and Neji trying to get Naru-chan XP You know, it's strange that he seems to fit with just about any character… yeah… (anyone thinking man whore?)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N …wow…I know…an update XD I had actually written most of this chapter, but forgot about it…am sorry!!! But its here now…ugh…its okies…was going to be a little longer but then I realised that all the things I wanted to put in this chapter would make it a very long chapter so I've decided to split it into two.

I hope it lives up to your expectations…

Itachi is introduced into this chapter as well and will be meeting Naru-chan in the next one X3 So yeah…hope yooh like!

Disclaimer: Do you see Yaoi scenes all the time? No? Well then, I can't own Naruto, can I? (But Itachi does XP)

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Outaishi chapter three:

Naruto yawned as his blue eyes fastened on the scrolls in front of him. He gave a sigh. He had learned those jutsus already and now he had nothing to do until after lunch when he was going to have a lesson with Mamoru on swordsmanship. He had yet to get his sword. Apparently, the sword took time to make since it needed to be infused with his chakra and also made in a very specific way and have specific timing as well. Naruto didn't truly understand the whole process. But he was told by his best friend and guardian, Takashi that the sword, like ones of the seven swordsman of the mist, would only respond to him and him alone. He liked that idea.

He gave another sigh as he stretched himself, looking about his room. His 15th birthday was in two weeks and his old team was going to come and see him. With the vigorous training he had undergone, he had passed both chuunin and Jounin exams. He was rather proud of himself, though he wondered for the reactions of his old team mates. Now all he needed was his sword. He couldn't wait. It should be ready any day now.

There came a knock at his door and he turned his head towards it as it opened on his command. He then smiled when Takashi came in, grinning at him,

"Hello Naruto-kun? Hiding from Arisu-san are you?"

Naruto winced at that. Arisu was the oldest daughter of one of the generals, a year younger then Naruto himself. And she had her eyes set on him. She was very direct in her methods and scared Naruto when she was talking about things such as marriage and how she liked the idea of being queen. He took to hiding just to avoid her; most of the time it didn't work. She somehow always found him. She was one seriously scary female. He hoped that she wouldn't appear when his old team are here either…

"Is there something you want?" Naruto asked, changing the subject. Takashi's grin widened and he replied,

"Nothing really. I just wanted to know what you wanted for lunch."

Naruto gave a snort and turned away,

"I don't care at the moment…I'm going to stay right here in my room…"

"Fine, as you wish your highness, I'll bring you lunch then." And with that he closed the door and walked off. Naruto felt like hitting his head on the table he was seated at. He was now used to being called the Prince and 'your highness' but it felt weird when your best friend says it. His mind then went back to the Arisu problem. He wondered how many times she would catch him today… the most once had been about 25…man she was persistent.

He continued these dark thoughts until the door opened once again and his head whipped around, only to relax when it was Takashi carrying a tray with a simple soup. The older male smiled at him before setting the tray in front of the blonde. Naruto thanked him before digging into his meal. He had learned far more manners then when he had when he first came here. He also hadn't the need for the mask that he had built up over the years since here, people accepted him as a demon container. They treated him as a Hero and not a monster. He was happy here and was not afraid to show it. Also, if he had any problems, he was able to talk to Takashi, or his adopted father, the King.

He quickly ate the soup, which, despite being a very simple one, was delicious. When finished, he pushed the bowl away and sat back with a sigh. Takashi regarded him with his patient blue eyes,

"Naruto-kun, king Mamoru wished to talk to you. I think it may be about your sword."

Naruto perked up at those words. Was his sword finally finished? He stood up, looking questionably at his guardian. Takashi shrugged his shoulders and waved the blonde out of the room. Naruto got up and walked out, walking the now familiar corridors of the palace towards the King's study. He reached the room in a few minutes and knocked, awaiting permission to enter. When given, he opened the door and blinked when he saw not only the king, but an elderly man. The man was of medium height and his face deeply wrinkled, but his brown eyes were twinkling with youth. He was wearing a simple cotton long sleeved top and cotton trousers with a belt. He was wearing a burned and worn out leather apron. In his hands he was holding an object that was wrapped in a cream cloth. It was long, so Naruto assumed that it was his sword.

He looked at the King, who smiled at him and indicated the old man,

"This is Yochio, the man that had created your sword. It is now finished and ready for you to wield."

The man smiled kindly and placed the wrapped sword on the table and said in a gentle and wise voice,

"This is the sword I have made for you, your highness. I hope that it is up to standard."

Naruto walked up to the table, his eyes glued onto the sword. Slowly, he unwrapped the weapon and his eyes widened. Like Mamoru's, it had a gold handle and a silver hilt. The jewel imbedded within the hilt was a large sapphire crystal. His eyes then trailed to the blade, taking in its colour. The blade was mainly a golden colour, but what made it different from his adopted fathers was that there were deep red veins running through it. What was that supposed to mean?

Mamoru leaned forward, staring at the sword intently. He then made a small tut-ing noise and leaned back.

"What is it, Otou-san?" Naruto asked the man. Yochio watched with keen interest.

"Well, the golden part of the blade represents your personality. Your strive to make friends and be social; it is also a colour that attracts attention. I had a suspicion that it would be yellow."

"And the red part?"

"The red represents Kyuubi's personality. Its potent chakra is mixed with your own, which explains why a small amount of the Kyuubi is represented."

"Oh…"

Naruto looked back at the sword and smiled a little.

"It's a beautiful sword."

"That it is." The King agreed. Yochio smiled gently and murmured a 'thank you'. Naruto reached forward and picked the blade up by the handle, raising an eyebrow at how light it was. He could feel the power coming off the sword as if it were a conscious being and seemed to know him. He continued to stare at the blade in wonder. Mamoru cleared his throat slightly and Naruto focused of the other men in the room.

"You still have to name the sword you know…"

Naruto frowned slightly. How could he find a name fitting enough for this beautiful blade? His confusion must have been seen by the other males in the room because Yochio gave a chuckle and said,

"Well, your chakra is wind natured, so why not base it around that? Since you can pour chakra into the sword for deadlier attacks."

Naruto frown deepened and he looked back at the stunning blade. He stood there for about ten minutes, trying to think of a name… maybe…no…damn…naming a sword was harder then it seemed. Then, it hit him.

"I think I shall call it…Kage kokyu (1)"

Mamoru smiled and replied,

"That is an excellent name Naruto-kun. Now, take that to your room and get prepared, we will be having a guest from some group to come and talk to us. I am, however, suspicious to their intentions. So I want you to be ready for anything, okay?"

Naruto nodded and walked out of the room, the sword almost cradled in his arms. He walked along the corridors back to his room. He then placed the sword in on the wall hanger, horizontally, that was made especially for it. Naruto then set about getting ready for the quest…he wondered who they would be…

--------------------xx--------------------

Naruto gave a yawn as he sat next to his 'father', waiting for this guest to appear. He was tired of waiting…but they had to be ready. Naruto personally didn't give a damn about this guy that wanted to meet them on behalf of his group…

The door to the room opened to reveal the figure. Naruto frowned. It was a leaf nin…someone who looked like Sasuke…but was not.

His hair and eyes were black and his skin was pale; though he was obviously not an Uchiha. His top was something that Naruto had never seen before. It was black and stopped just below the ribcage, showing off the taunt stomach. The right sleeve covered the whole arm whereas the left sleeve was a short cut one. He was wearing black gloves. His trousers were black, with the kunai pouch on the right leg, along with the traditional ninja sandals.

The Sasuke look-alike bowed and then straightened, smiling in a fake manner. Naruto frowned at this,

"Hello, my name is Sai. I am here on behalf of Danzo of the root department of the Konoha ANBU. I have come to discuss a possible alliance between the Haiiroguma clan and Root."

There was a silence in the room as the King stared at the boy, who did not seem fazed by the intense attention he was receiving from the man. All of a sudden, Mamoru spoke up,

"Naruto-kun, can you show Sai to his quarters…we shall discuss this later."

Naruto nodded and silently stood up, walking to the Sai person. He smiled a little and said,

"If you would follow me please, Sai-san, I'll show you to your rooms."

Naruto then walked past Sai and out of the room, looking over his shoulder to check that Sai was actually following him.

"So Sai-san… why does this Danzo want an alliance?"

Sai looked at him, giving another fake smile, making Naruto shiver at the fakeness, and replied,

"Sorry your highness, but I will discuss this in the council."

"Oh…okay then."

There was silence and then Sai said,

"This is a nice palace…will it soon be yours?"

"Er…well when am 16, I'll be going to Konoha to train under the Hokage; Tsunade in medical jutsus. So am not exactly sure when I will be King."

"I see…"

Naruto stopped at one of the guest quarters and turned to Sai again,

"This is where you'll be staying, I hope you like it."

Sai walked past him and into the room, looking at the well furnished room. He smiled, once again fake, at Naruto and replied,

"It is fine Naruto-kun."

Naruto closed the door and quickly walked down the hall back to the King, a frown on his face. He didn't really like this Sai…his smiles seemed so fake and Naruto didn't really like that.

--------------------xx--------------------

Sai had been here a week and Naruto had decided that he did not like this guy one bit… the main reason was that the guy kept asking if Naruto really had a penis as is asking if Naruto was actually a guy or not. Oh, that guy was going to pay for that…

Also, the negotiations were not going well. Mamoru didn't want an alliance, especially with a supposedly disbanded ANBU training department. Naruto suspected that ROOT wanted to use the Kings power in some way…and Naruto knew that Mamoru wouldn't let the power of the Haiiroguma clan be abused in any way. What also annoyed Naruto was the fact that Sai seemed to have no emotions…well if he did, he hid them very well. And his smiles were fake, and made the blonde shiver every time he saw it. Mamoru mentioned to Naruto that he also noticed the fakeness of the Sasuke look-alike. Mamoru didn't trust the guy one bit. And Naruto noticed that Takashi tended to give the black haired shinobi evil looks, especially if Sai was near Naruto. It made the blonde laugh.

Naruto sighed as he was walking with the annoying artist, since Naruto had seen Sai drawing scenes of the royal gardens although he had never named any of his pictures. Naruto had never understood why the guy had never named any of his pictures and he planned to find out why…

"Sai…why don't you name any of your pictures?"

Sai turned hi dark eyes to regard Naruto, but was silent a little bit before saying,

"I don't have any emotions, that how I was trained, so I have never been inspired to name the pictures I draw."

Naruto blinked and looked down at the picture that Sai was currently working on. It was a picture of himself, in the cherry tree garden. It was really good. Naruto reached out and took it from Sai's grasp and stared at it for a little bit,

"This is good…but why draw me?"

"You are an interesting person, your highness-" Whatever Sai was going to say next was cut off when a squeal came from behind the two males. Naruto, knowing what it was, stiffened and muttered 'Fuck…not her please!'

Sai looked behind him and blinked when Naruto was glomped from behind from a high class lady.

She had long black hair, tied up in a bun, make up around her eyes, blusher to make her cheeks rosy, and she was wearing plain a red Kimono with a small shield sign on the chest to signal her relation to a general in the high council. She was all together very pretty.

Naruto wriggled, but was unable to shake free of his clinger,

"Your Highness! Where have you been all week? I've missed you! Oh…er…who's this?"

Naruto gritted his teeth and said,

"This is Sai…he is a visitor here in the palace…"

"Oh…" She sniffed before turning back to Naruto and chattering away about what she had been doing with her friends, like shopping and deciding what to do with her hair. Naruto just zoned out while Sai watched with interest at the scene. Naruto glared at the dark haired male as if blaming him for it.

All of a sudden, Sai moved foreword, pushing Naruto up against the wall.

"Sai, what are-" Naruto was cut off when he felt soft lips cover his. He froze for a second and then realised that Sai was _kissing_ him! Sai pulled away from the shocked blonde and then turned to the pale faced girl.

Sai gave a fake smile and asked,

"He's my new boyfriend, do you like him?"

Arisu stared at the dark eyed boy and then at the blushing Naruto. She then gave a wail, turned around and running off away from the two.

Naruto blinked in the direction that the girl had run in before turning back to Sai and growled,

"What the hell do you think you were doing!? You kissed me!"

"It got rid of her, didn't it?"

Naruto blinked and then looked in the direction that Arisu had run off in and then grinned,

"Yeah it did! Thanks Sai!"

"No problem Naruto-kun"

"So…Are you going to name that picture?" Naruto asked, pointing to the picture that Sai had drawn of him. Sai looked at it and smiled a small smile and replied,

"I think I'll call it 'boyfriend'"

"W-what!?"

"I think it would suit the picture very well…"

"NO!! Don't call it that!"

"I can and I will…"

"SAI!"

"Hn… I won't change my mind…"

"I hate you…"

"That's nice…but it won't make me change my mind."

"You can be a real asshole, you know that…"

For the rest of the day, Naruto went about the palace in a surely mood. He was surprised that the whole place wasn't talking about Sai kissing him… Arisu mustn't have told anyone…she was most likely crying in her rooms. Not that Naruto minded, as long as she was away from him…

Naruto slammed the door to his room close before drifting over to his sword. He reached up and took it down, examining it for like the millionth time since he had acquired it. It didn't feel like a sword that he held, it felt more like an extension of his arm. It was so easy to wield and allowed for fluid actions. He ran a finger down the gold and red blade, liking the feel of the smooth cold metal that seemed to vibrate slightly under his finger.

He wondered briefly how long Sai was going to be here, but shook that out of his thoughts. He had better things to think about…

--------------------xx--------------------

Over the next few days, Naruto was glad to note that Arisu was no where to be found. Though he heard some of her friends talking about how the dark haired girl was locked up in her room all day. For some reason…that put Naruto on edge. She was up to something…and he had a feeling that it was not good. On the fourth day, Naruto found himself in the cherry gardens again with Sai. He watched as the dark haired male painted a picture of a colourful bird perched on a nearby tree. Naruto gave a large yawn. He was bored…there is only so much entertainment in watching your friend paint a picture. He twirled his thumbs, sighing in a bored manner. Upon hearing this, Sai put down his paper and brush, turning dark eyes to look at Naruto,

"Bored Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah…"

"What do you want to do then?"

"Hmm…I want to-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off when a rather hostile hiss could be heard. He looked to the side and blinked when he saw Arisu standing there, her eyes flashing dangerously. Those eyes were fixed upon Sai with obvious dislike. She cleared her throat and said in a rather sweet voice,

"Sai-san…could you kindly step away form the Prince?"

They both blinked and looked at each other before Sai stood up and approached Arisu, looking down at her. She looked a little intimidated, but stood her ground. Sai gave a fake smile before saying,

"No."

She narrowed her eyes, bristling slightly. Not a good sign.

"Why not?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"It is Naruto-kun's choice whom he hangs around with and not yours. You like Naruto-kun, but not in the way that he likes you. I suggest that you stop your fruitless quest and leave Naruto-kun alone before you just end up hurting both yourself and Naruto-kun. Thank you and Good-day."

The dark haired male then walked up to Naruto, dragged him up with one hand and dragged him off, leaving the gaping female behind.

Sai took them back to Naruto's room, seating him at the table before putting his painting on the table in front of him. Naruto looked at his friend and said,

"Thank you."

Sai gave a small smile, making Naruto blink when he noticed that it was slightly genuine. He smiled back. Sai pushed the painting towards Naruto, who took it, looking at the other male curiously,

"That is for you Naruto-kun. Something for you to remember me by for when I leave tomorrow. It will be unlikely that we will meet up again."

The blonde's eyes widened slightly before he gave a toothy grin,

"Thanks Sai!"

Sai smiled again, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture,

"No problem Naruto."

The blonde grinned wider before jumping up and bouncing over the wall, looking around with a frown before he spotted some pins on one if the bookshelves. He took some before going back to the wall he had originally been standing at and pinning it there, looking at Sai, smiling happily. The dark haired male made a small 'heh' noise, but other then that he said nothing. The blonde didn't care. He was happy since it really was the first gift from a friend…from Konoha that was. Here he got a lot of presents from Takashi…but this one was somehow special. He stared at the painting of the bird for a small while before going back to the table and sitting down, coaxing Sai into having a small chat until they both had to retire to bed as they had to get up early tomorrow.

--------------------xx--------------------

The next day, Naruto watched with sad eyes as Sai left the palace on his way back to Konoha to report his failed mission. Mamaru stood beside him, a hand on the blonde's shoulder. When Sai had disappeared from view, Mamaru turned to Naruto and asked,

"So…did you have fun with Sai when getting rid of your stalker?"

The blonde blinked and looked at the King blankly. How did he know? The tall man gave a hearty laugh, ruffling Naruto's hair and saying with a soft smile,

"I know just about everything that goes on in the Palace my son. There is little that I don't know."

Naruto blushed, causing Mamaru to laugh harder before he walked back into the house. The blonde crossed his arms, pouting. Takashi came up to him, frowning slightly,

"What is the King laughing about Naruto?"

Naruto shrugged before hopping into the building muttering,

"Nothing Takashi."

The blue eyed man blinked after Naruto before giving a small frown. If it had something to do with that Sai person…he was going to kill him…

--------------------xx--------------------

Itachi stared unblinking at the hologram in front of him. From the information that Zetsu had collected, his target, Naruto wasn't in Konoha anymore, but rather in the keep of Mamaru, the King of the Bear country and was also Crown Prince. This made it all the more harder to catch the Kyuubi holder as he would be guarded extremely closely.

"Do you understand Itachi?"

The Uchiha didn't say anything, but merely nodded in acknowledgement to the shadowy figure. He watched as the image flickered and faded, leaving him standing alone in the dark gave, only his sharingan visible in the pitch black cave.

His current mission was to go to the Bear Country and spy on the Crown Prince, Uzumaki Naruto and look for any weaknesses in the Palace's guard to be able to sneak in and snatch the blonde from right under their noses and then take him back to the base for extraction. It sounded simple enough, though for now he was just instructed to watch. It was a few days until Naruto's 15th Birthday. Not exactly the best time to go as the place would be full of busy servants preparing the Palace for the Prince's birthday. Also another reason for not arriving around that time was that his weak brother will be there as well, and Itachi had no desire to see him.

He gave a sigh, his eyes closing slowly so that you were unable to see any part of him whatsoever. He could tell that this was going to be one long…bothersome mission.

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Kage Kokyu- Wind shadow

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Hmm…review? Tell what yooh think so far! And please try not to hurt me!!


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